Holding 70 pc freshwater reserves of world, fast-melting glaciers raise alarm

The Eco Club of Government Arya College celebrated ‘International Mountain Day-2025’ on the campus with enthusiasm and to sensitise students about the importance of mountains. This year’s theme was ‘Glaciers made for water, food and livelihoods in the mountains and beyond’.

Rakesh Kumar, Associate Professor of Botany and convener of the Eco Club of the college, said that glaciers holding around 70 per cent of the world’s freshwater reserves were lifelines for ecosystems and communities. “The rapid melting of glaciers is not only an environmental challenge but also a humanitarian crisis threatening agriculture, clean energy water scarcity and the lives of billions of people across the world,” he added.

Anjana Gautam, Assistant Professor of Sociology, highlighted the importance of glaciers and how civilisations and cultures flourished around rivers. In his lecture, Satya Prakash, Assistant Professor of Geography and an Eco-Club member, said that mountainous regions played a vital role as a major source of global freshwater. He also discussed measures to prevent the disappearance of glaciers. He explained how mountains provided water, food and energy to people around the world.

Anil Kumar, Assistant Professor of Hindi, encouraged students to support environmentally-friendly tourism, conserve water and reduce plastic use. He drew their attention to issues such as the effects of climate change, deforestation and soil erosion. He said that the mountains were home to 15 per cent of the world’s population and host nearly half of the world’s biodiversity hotspots.

International Mountain Day is celebrated on December 11 every year to create awareness about the importance of mountains in human life, highlight the opportunities and constraints in mountain development and build alliances that will bring positive changes in mountain people and environment around the world. The UN General Assembly had designated this day in 2002.